416 replies to this topic

[KTS]

ignition system has been stripped out and sent back to the manufacturers to test and hopefully provide some answers as to why it's behaving as it is, and whilst it's out i thought i'd stick the distributor back in it to see how it ran.  

 

dug out the distributor, coil and leads and cobbled together the electrics

 

 

after re-torquing the cylinder head fasteners and resetting the valve clearances, started it up and it ran fine;  still seems to want lots of advance, but runs quite happily.

 

hopefully will get some feedback on the ignition system in the next few days, but in the meantime i have found some other issues that will need addressing...

 

the first is just outright annoying - oil leak from around the half-moon seal, and also from what appears to be between the join between gearbox and block (but could also be related to the half moon seal).

 

 

..either way, it means splitting the gearbox and block to fix.

 

the other issue, which is slightly more concerning, is that whilst checking the clutch worked with the engine running(..it does  ) i could hear/feel knocking when engaging any gear.  

 

turning the wheels by hand; i get about 1/4 turn easy movement, and then it binds up on something.  I can force it past that point then it'll free up and rotate a bit more then bind up again.

 

i guess the engine will be coming out again shortly 

[timmy850]

Are the wheels at full droop? It might be worth removing the wheels, and using a jack under the lower ball joint to see if it’s any better closer to ride height

[KTS]

I thought that too, but jacking up the nearside wheel to take the angle out of the driveshaft/cv joints didn't make any difference.

 

i'm fairly confident it's not a gearbox issue, as that was all checked as part of the rebuild.  less confident on the diff install though;  the diff cap was relieved to take the ATB, but it's possible i missed something.  

 

box and block has to be split anyway to fix the oil leak, so shouldn't be too hard to spot the issue when that's done

[KTS]

Not a lot of progress going on at the moment...

 

NoDiz suppliers tested the ECU and loom i'd sent back to them and couldn't find any issues which was a bit disappointing, but did offer me the option of a refund, or replacement with the current Gen X model, which is what i've opted for.

 

in the meantime, got an with installing the indicator repeater LED's and dash cams

 

 

repeaters are a little on the yellow side, so i've ordered some clear orange acrylic paint to try and get them closer to the front/rear indicator colour

[wingnut]

This is gonna be a nice thing when done with all the modern touches your adding

[KTS]

Nearly a month since the last update, but the good news is that the replacement ignition system does appear to be doing what it's supposed to.  hurrah !!

 

in other news, indicator repeater lights have been painted and are now the same colour as the front/rear indicators.  Ideally i'd have painted the inside of the lense, but the units won't come apart so have had to paint the outside.

 

 

Having satisfied myself that the ignition system is working properly I figured i may as well drain the fluids out of the engine in preparation for pulling the motor to sort out the oil leak and investigate the gearbox/diff issue, and that is when i discovered i have a problem....

 

 

...the oil is loaded with very fine aluminium particles

 

God only knows where that lot has come from, but it's obviously not a good sign.  On the plus side, the magnet on the sump plug was pretty clean 

[DUF2]

 

...the oil is loaded with very fine aluminium particles

 

God only knows where that lot has come from, but it's obviously not a good sign.  On the plus side, the magnet on the sump plug was pretty clean 

Bugger!!!!!

[KTS]

 

 

...the oil is loaded with very fine aluminium particles

 

God only knows where that lot has come from, but it's obviously not a good sign.  On the plus side, the magnet on the sump plug was pretty clean 

Bugger!!!!!

 

 

Indeed - may have to start a book on where it's coming from for a bit of fun....

[Steve220]

The only alloy parts in the engine are the pistons and gearbox casing, so that's a bit of a puzzler!

 

Been reading through your NODIZ problems too. I'll add my 2p in as well. Unless you hard limit it at the cell (i.e 1600rpm bang on), if you it stray the rpm either side of that then it will begin to blend with the next cell, raising or lowering your seen ignition figure. It's why I always set the RPM column to the idle figure - So if the car naturally idles at 900rpm, change the column from 1200 to 900rpm. It makes it a darn sight easier!

[KTS]

The only alloy parts in the engine are the pistons and gearbox casing, so that's a bit of a puzzler!

 

Been reading through your NODIZ problems too. I'll add my 2p in as well. Unless you hard limit it at the cell (i.e 1600rpm bang on), if you it stray the rpm either side of that then it will begin to blend with the next cell, raising or lowering your seen ignition figure. It's why I always set the RPM column to the idle figure - So if the car naturally idles at 900rpm, change the column from 1200 to 900rpm. It makes it a darn sight easier!

 

there's a few other bits to throw into the mix; the body of the oil pump, and in my case, the cam sprocket. other than that it's pistons, idler gear thrusts and gearbox to consider.

 

with regard to the ignition issues i was having; i've actually switched to the canems ignition only system and not had any issues; initial setup and static timing was pretty simple and the ECU advance actually corresponds (at more than one engine speed) with what is shown using a strobe .  conveniently it also allows you to disable interpolation when mapping

[timmy850]

I’d think the fine particles would be more likely to be bearing material rather than a solid piece of alloy getting turned to dust? Or perhaps did you have any part of the assembly blasted and there was a bit of residue left over?

[KTS]

I’d think the fine particles would be more likely to be bearing material rather than a solid piece of alloy getting turned to dust? Or perhaps did you have any part of the assembly blasted and there was a bit of residue left over?

 

i think you may be right - i left the drain pan to settle overnight before pouring it out and there really wasn't anything to speak of that had settled out

 

the gear box and casings were vapour blasted and the block honed, but i was (..i thought..) fairly meticulous in cleaning everything before re-assembly.

[timmy850]

Was that the first oil change after assembly? I’d expect a little bit while everything wears in, but should clear up

If you cut open the oil filter you might be able to see if there’s anything caught in there too

Edited by timmy850, 28 November 2022 - 10:22 PM.

[KTS]

Yep - first oil change. Good idea on the filter; I'll pull it apart and see what's in there..

[ac427]

Yep - first oil change. Good idea on the filter; I'll pull it apart and see what's in there..

 

Any updates Mate?

 

Did you find the source of the aluminium particles?